The original building of Peterhead Academy was built in 1846 and was originally a boys only school The South-east (Modern Languages) wing was built in 1961 with further building in the 1970s taking the school to its current form.

The Academy is split up into six houses: Arbuthnot, Buchan, Craigewan, Grange, Marischal and Slains.

Each house is a different colour with Arbuthnot green, Buchan red, Craigewan yellow, Grange purple, Marischal blue and Slains Turquoise.

The Academy's motto is "Domus Super Petram Aedificata" (A House Built on a Rock).

[4] The Academy is Scotland's largest school with around 23,000 square metres (250,000 sq ft) in terms of gross internal floor area.